Toward standardization: the English translation of Chinese terms related to calligraphic scripts

ABSTRACT

Calligraphy is revered as embodying the cultural and aesthetic values of traditional China and holds first place among Chinese arts. This article explores how certain translations began to appear, circulate and be accepted over the past decades. It is noticed that “repeated use” and de facto “popularity” of certain translations can be determining factors in evaluating the adequacy of the translation. By prioritizing the effect of cross-cultural understanding, this study does justice to some of the existing translations that have been constantly doubted by previous scholars. The existing translations in question, as new “signifies”, have been re-contextualized and thus they gain increasingly more cultural meanings of the “signifieds”.

KEYWORDS:

• Chinese calligraphy
• translation history
• signified
• signifier
• calligraphic script

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ge Song

Ge SONG is currently an Assistant Professor in Applied Translation Studies Programme at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College. He obtained his PhD from Lingnan University in Hong Kong and Master’s degree from Shanghai International Studies University. He did research in Asian Research Institute at National University of Singapore in 2016. His research interests include translation theories, cultural translation, museum translation, and the translation of Chinese culture.